Tree climbing is in again/ Grimper dans les arbres, c’est macho!

Who would have thought that tree climbing would be in again? The Globe and Mail says so.

Between the ages of 5 and 15, I remember always being fascinated by trees and how one could climb them. The structure of some trees appeared to be made expressely for climbing, with limbs positioned just the right way. There were trees in Prague parks and trees in various parts of France.

Ma mère ne m’avait jamais découragé de grimper dans les arbres. Elle me priait simplement de faire attention, de ne pas tomber. Idée qui me semblait absolument absurde alors.

Je remarque que l’escalade des arbres se civilise; on peut maintenant apprendre comment grimper. On peut prendre des cours d’escalade (comme on prend des cours d’alpinisme) et naturellement, on grimpe plus haut (40 mètres, dit l’article). Alors que dans mon cas, le maximum était de 5 à 7 mètres. Aucun équipement, aucune précaution préalable.

I am not a rock climber but keeping three points on the tree sounds very much like something one would do while rock climbing. Why do people do it?

"A feeling common among tree climbers is the wonder that you are the very first person ever to be in a particular place; you see different flora and fauna up in the canopy, and get a different perspective, like watching birds flying around below you."

It is akin to being on cross-country skis on an empty trail, on a weekend – just you and the trees, the snow and the cold wind...

Maybe Jamie Robertson has the answer: "All kids are natural tree climbers."

P.S. Recently discovered information on formal tree climbing, born around 1980. This article is worth a read.

This is what young boys do now

Client Feedback/Commentaires des clients

Like many other independents, many translators, often complain about their clients’ attitude toward their work. That is the negative side. I have also found out that one can ask for and receive positive feedback, if only the client can do it quickly and easily.

“Could not have wished for better service, thank you”,

is what one recent client wrote on my feedback form. The work was rush, but the client knew that she had not allowed a lot of time for it to be done. A quick phonecall, a few explanations and I was on my way.

Le texte de mon formulaire tient sur une page, est fourni en version électronique, les cases peuvent être remplies à l’écran et le document peut être renvoyé par courriel.

What did the client say :

1) my service exceeded their expectations
2) the fee paid was good value for the service received
3) and rated as excellent the following points: pricing & payment schedule, professionalism, & expertise,,quick response to client request.

« Nous n’aurions pas pu nous attendre à un meilleur service, merci. »

Ce genre de commentaire remonte le moral.